Looking Forward to a Unique Cultural Adventure in Central Java!

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"Hey kids, we are heading to Yogyakarta and Semarang this September School Holidays!"

Cue blank stares all around from the monkies.

Actually, I don't blame them. Simply because both destinations are not exactly your kind of usual holidaying spots for young families. And quite frankly, other than the UNESCO Heritage Site of Borobudur Temple in Yogyakarta, I had absolutely NO idea what other attractions are there... and don't even get me started on Semarang.

In a continuation of my blog's collaboration with SilkAir (with our first being the awesome Cairns trip in June), we will be sent packing to Central Java in Indonesia where the exotic destinations of Yogyakarta and Semarang await.

These places will be entirely different from what we experienced in Cairns - where everything will be new, exciting, mystical, uncharted territory and best of all, we will be experiencing everything together a family.

And you know what that means, don't you? Experiencing everything together as a family means having an itinerary that includes family-friendly elements and kid-friendly activities. And judging from the itinerary that SilkAir had come up with, all I have to say this will be one unique cultural adventure with explorative learning for the monkies like no other.

Let's start with Yogyakarta (pronounced as Jogjakarta, or Jogja for short) which is regarded as THE place to visit in Central Java if you only have time for one destination. A mere 2 hour and 20 minutes flight from Singapore, Yogyakarta is a city steeped in tradition and history, with a myriad of natural wonders and rich Javanese heritage. For sure, I am looking forward to visiting the two powerhouse of ancient temples – Prambanan the magnificent Hindu temple and Borobudur the renown Buddhist temple.

Ash, on the other hand, is extremely eager to visit Kaliadem village located at a slope of Mt Merapi which has the distinction of being one of the most active volcanoes in the world. The village was totally destroyed after the last great eruption of Merapi in 2010 and I'm sure it will be an eye-opener for everyone!

Predictably, the wifey has her eye on Malioboro Street, which is Yogyakarta’s main shopping street, especially in the evening when the place comes alive with numerous stalls. I guess I'm lucky that SilkAir offers a baggage allowance of 30kg for economy and 40kg for business class passengers then! Oh, and I would not want to miss out trying Yogyakarta's most famous dish, Gudeg which is a stew made from young jackfruit (nangka) with palm sugar, coconut milk, meat, garlic and spices.

As for Ayd, he will be keenly awaiting to arrive in Semarang (2-hour flight from Singapore), the capital and largest city of Central Java and a major port during the Dutch colonial area. So expect to see a melting pot of Chinese, Indian Arab and European cultures among many attractions for families - one of which is the Ambarawa Railway Museum, which boasts an interesting collection of locomotives going back to 1891! Definitely a must-visit for young train fans. For me though, I will be just contented to tuck into some authentic Ayam Penyet! *drool*

I'm sure we will be visiting many more places so if you wish to find out all of the family-friendly activities that Central Java has to offer, be sure to follow our journey as I will be once again taking over SilkAir's Instagram account for the duration of our upcoming trip! Do give SilkAir's Instagram (@silkair) a follow and LIKE SilkAir's Facebook page as well as the monkies conquer Central Java starting from TODAY!

And did I mention there will be a GIVEAWAY too? :)

So stay tuned as we bring you snippets of our adventures in the lesser known regions of Central Java!

SilkAir flies to Yogyakarta four times a week on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays while flights to Semarang depart thrice weekly on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. For more information, visit www.silkair.com.